Uncovering The Truth
by HollywoodEncyclopedia
Summary: Picks up toward the end of Season 2 before Mike,Linc, and Sarah go to leave Chicago. The boys implore the help of an old friend...but is the past too much to relive? Chapter 6 is finally here!
1. Caution To The Wind

**Hello again, everyone. I am in the process of editing a few things but should be getting some new chapters up soon. There are some minor adjustmensts here but more to come later and then for the new stuff!**

Chapter 1: **Caution to the Wind**

Her eyes shot open. That was the craziest dream she had ever had... not that she remembered much of it. All she remembered was that she didn't like it very much. Bad things... terrible things had happened. Things that she did not want to even imagine could happen. Some of it, as she remembered, had been true. Main events were actually happening, at least similarly, to what had happened in her dream. No one she actually recognized. Their voices, all of their voices, sounded familiar. She didn't recognize any of the faces. They hadn't been all that clear to her. They were somehow blurred, but the voices were crisp and distinct. Many blurred faces with many very different voices and demeanors. What had it all meant?

She stopped staring at the wall and rolled over on her bed to look at the clock. It was 7:32pm. She must have fallen asleep reading her book. She looked down at the bed and found her book lying semi-open under her arm. She took the bookmark from her nightstand and placed it inside the page, closed the book, and set it next to the clock back on the nightstand.

Buzz! Buzz!

Her cell phone was ringing. She picked it up and looked at the caller ID to see who it was. "Of course," she said with a sigh as she answered the phone. "Hey, what's up?"

"Jorden, what are you doing? Where are you?"

"I'm at home. Why?"

"Are you coming or not. I'm waiting."

"Yeah, I'm coming."

"Well, when will you be here?" the woman on the other end was getting impatient.

"Lena, I'll be there soon…within the hour. I'll call you when I get there, ok?" Jorden replied getting increasingly frustrated herself.

"Fine, I'll be waiting for you," and with that Lena hung up and left Jorden in dead silence.

Jorden got up and walked over to the window. Rain was pelting down from the darkened cloudy sky. She could hear the rain tinking off the metal fire escape just outside the window and the sloshing sound of cars driving through the puddle that always collected on the street corner during a rainstorm. She could see the few random pedestrians attempting to jump the puddle on the corner as they tried to scramble across the street dodging cars under their umbrellas of every different color.

She took another look at the clock. It was now 7:39. Wow, time was going to fly by tonight. She didn't have much time, Lena was right. She had to be down there by 8:00. Jorden wasn't sure if she was going to make it on time, now. It wouldn't be a big deal if she didn't. The only person who would be disappointed would be Lena. Jorden didn't really care about the stupid contest anyway. It wasn't even her idea to enter the contest. As a matter of fact, Lena had entered her in behind her back. Jorden had never been a huge fan of karaoke, especially in bars and clubs. At home or in her classroom at the community center was a completely different story. For some reason or another, Lena felt that everyone on the planet needed to know how talented Jorden was. Lena actually thought Jorden had talent. Where Lena had gotten that idea, Jorden wasn't really sure. She only knew that Lena was wrong and was kind of angry at Lena for entering her into this stupid contest.

Jorden finished getting herself together, found her jacket and keys, turned off the lights, and headed out into the downpour. Taking a quick glance at her phone before stepping out of the apartment building, she realized she had only 10 minutes to get all the way to the club. Jorden was pretty sure that wasn't going to happen since the club was several blocks away, but she bounded out into the rain anyway, very skillfully jumping the puddle on the corner and dodging between the cars with speed skater like movements. As she jumped the much smaller puddle on the other side of the street and onto the sidewalk, she found her very long stride quickly and made her way diligently to the club.

As much as she hoped the desire to get out of the rain would propel her, the weather had overcome and slowed her down. Jorden had just entered the club and was digging her phone out of her pocket. It was 8:21. Dang...too late. Lena was going to hate her. Oh, well. It wasn't that much of a deal to Jorden. She didn't much care. By the sound of it someone had just finished. Whoever it was must have done really well because there was all sorts of cheering and whistling coming from the crowd. Jorden dialed Lena's number hoping that Lena had not gotten distracted, which wasn't very hard for Lena. Lena was very friendly, especially when it came to guys. She never really thought things through and as a result, Lena had been heartbroken more times than Jorden could count. She knew this because she was the one who always helped Lena pick up the pieces and put them back together. Nowadays, however, Lena didn't really commit to anyone. She would just jump out as quickly as she jumped in and remained unscathed, showing as much judgment as she had before... minimal at best. Now she just complained that she was unlucky and found all the terrible guys who had one thing on their mind, which made Jorden believe that Lena wasn't actually happy with the way things were going and Lena actually wanted a connection with someone.

Voicemail. Lena _had_ gotten distracted. Jorden quickly snapped her phone closed, returned it to her pocket, and walked toward the bar just in time to her the M.C. announce the winner of the contest. There must not have been many contestants. Jorden didn't much care as a roar of approval came from the crowd as the winner approached the stage to claim his prize. Jorden found an abandoned stool at the bar as the music began to blare once more, the house lights went down and the floor lights came on. The dance floor was rushed by practically everyone in the place. Jorden knew that Lena was out there with some guy she had just met and would come out of there eventually, either bored with him and wanting to find another or to come up for air with every intention of finding him again.

Jorden had just gotten a bottle of water from the bartender when Lena came stumbling out of the crowd and collapsed into the vacant bar stool next to her, flinging her arms tirelessly onto the bar her head falling onto her arms immediately.

"Bad choice?" Jorden asked with a bit of a teasing tone in her voice, fully knowing the answer she was going to get.

"Terrible. How do I get so lucky?" Jorden sensed the sarcasm. She just smiled back knowing perfectly well that Lena knew exactly what her problem was.

"You know what, Lena?" Jorden directed at her slumped over friend. "If you can go out there and meet random people and act ridiculous, then so am I. We'll both throw caution to the wind. What do you say?"

Lena looked very quizzically at her friend. This was a very strange attitude for Jorden. Jorden was always the safe and rational one. "...throw caution to the wind..."? What was that about? "You must be joking," said Lena who was now looking more confused than ever.

"Actually, I am totally serious," replied Jorden with reassurance written all over her face. It had been a rough day, and Jorden was bound and determined to have fun tonight.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Let's go."

The two made their way toward the dance floor. Since the song change, the crowd had dispersed a little. There was much more room to move around and made it easier for Jorden and Lena to find a spot they could both occupy comfortably. After a few songs, Lena took off toward the bar for some water and left Jorden out by herself for a little while. A few minutes later, Lena returned but she was not alone.

"Hey, Jorden," she could her Lena trying to pinpoint her location.

"Over here, Lena," Jorden moved to her tip-toes, waving her hands above her head to try and catch Lena's attention.

"Oh, there you are."

"Didn't really move. Who's this?"

Lena had found a friend. The woman had brown hair and looked like she'd been through a rough time recently. She did not look together at all and Jorden could tell that something was very wrong. She looked worried and Jorden wasn't sure why this woman would want to be in a place like this at such a time. Jorden brushed it aside assuming her radar was off a little. "Hi. I'm Jorden," she said offering a hand.

"Sara."

"Nice to meet you, Sara," and as their hands started to come apart Jorden noticed something in Sara's hand. It felt like a folded up piece of paper. Jorden looked at Sara who had a 'take the paper' look in her eyes. This made Jorden's radar go berserk. What was going on? Who was this woman? She looked a little familiar to Jorden, but she couldn't quite peg where she knew this woman from. Jorden could tell that this paper was rather important to whoever this woman was, so she took the paper from Sara and quickly put her hands in her pockets and began a conversation.

"So do you live here in the city or are you just visiting?"

"Oh, I live here. I've been away for a while and just got back."

"Really, where'd you go?"

"All over."

"I bet you met someone," Jorden took note of Sara's short, distracted answers.

"You could say that, but a girl doesn't kiss and tell." Jorden could tell that this conversation was getting incredibly awkward for Sara. She was getting very fidgety at the mentioning this guy and wasn't really sure how to answer their questions. Jorden immediately thought this woman was hiding something but she didn't really want to know what it was. She was sure that the paper in her pocket was going to tell her, though.

"I hate to cut this short but I really do have to get going," Sara said with a little hint of relief in her voice. "It was very nice meeting you both."

"And you," Jorden said giving her a reassured look.

"Where exactly is the door? This place is so huge," Sara asked whipping her head left to right.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll show you the way," Lena offered. She turned to Jorden and said, "Be right back."

Good. Jorden wanted to take a look at that paper alone anyway. She still couldn't shake the feeling that she knew Sara from someplace. If only she could remember. It must have only been a passing glance or something. Jorden turned away from the spot the Lena and Sara had disappeared into the sea of people and delved into her pocket for the paper Sara had given her. She pulled it out and held it in a fist as she took one more, quick glance behind her shoulder checking for Lena and anyone else who may have been watching. Seeing that the coast was clear, she turned her attention to her hand and the paper inside. With her free hand, she took the paper from her fist and held brought it up toward her eyes. It was difficult to see in the dark so she tried to maneuver around to catch it one of the lights…there.

"Oh my God!" between her fingers Jorden held a paper crane.


	2. Blast From The Past

**So I've done some re-vamping. This chapter has had the most change but the basics are the same. More edits to come and then...the rest of the story.**

Chapter 2: **Blast from the Past**

She could hardly believe what she was looking at. A paper crane folded so very neatly. She flipped it back and forth in her fingers for a minute in disbelief. How did he find her? The more important question was why did he find her? Who was Sara to him? She needed answers.

"Hey, what's that?" Lena had returned.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just remembered I've got something due tomorrow so I've got to get going. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Ok. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just gotta get this done and I need to get some sleep."

"Alright, talk to you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see ya later," Jorden turned for the door, leaving Lena behind. She felt bad but she needed answers and she needed them now. She was walking frantically not really paying attention to who she was shoving out of her way. She finally made it to an open spot and took off full speed for the door.

She bolted out the door into the cool damp night. She was whipping her head from side to side, hoping for some reason that he would be out her waiting for her out on the street. She knew this was not the case, but felt the need to be sure. It would be completely reckless and dangerous for him to be out here, and he had better have known that. In fact, she was positive that he knew that. With that, she stopped looking for him on the street and headed for the back alley. Maybe he was hiding out so as not to be seen. She hoped he knew better than that too. He shouldn't even be out at all. As she rounded behind the building at the end of the alley she was stopped dead in her tracks.

"There you are. I was wondering how long it would take you to get out here."

There was Sara standing around in a dark and concealed alley. If she really lived in this city she would know not to do such stupid things. Did she have any idea how dangerous it was back here?

"I assume you know why I'm here."

"Actually I haven't quite figured it all out yet. I have a lot of questions. Let's start with how you know him," this Sara was testing Jorden's patience. She did not like being jerked around on some practical joke.

"I met him a year ago," Sara replied.

"Really, that's funny. A year ago he was in prison. Too bad, you lose. Thanks for playing," Jorden had had enough of this game.

"Wait, you have the wrong idea. I am who I say am. You have to trust me. They need your help. They are in danger."

"I knew it!" The light bulb in her brain was shining brighter than it ever had before. "You are that doctor from the television. Dr. Sara…Tancredi. You were on trial. But you went free, as well you should have. You helped him…them. Where are they? Can you take me to them?"

"Whoa, slow down. He said you would want to help. I can't take you there, it's too dangerous," Sara said now that the tension had eased and her secret was out. "But they can come to you. That is why I came. They…we need a place to go. We can't go to our apartments for reasons you can figure out."

"Of course, I would hope that all of you are smart enough to stay away."

"They mentioned your place could be a possibility but they would never imagine barging in on you. So I took it upon myself to come and find you and ask you, in person."

"I'm not sure how safe that would be. For them anyway, I haven't seen people lurking around my apartment as of late, but I can't imagine they're far behind. Are you sure?"

"I don't think we have another option," Sara had a very fearful look in her eye.

"Here is my spare key. My building is here," Jorden said frantically writing the address on an old receipt. "I would not recommend coming before 1:00, though, I have a very snoopy old neighbor lady who likes to know everything going on. She'll be asleep by then. Don't come all at once either. It'll cause too much of a commotion and she may wake up," she handed the key and the receipt to Sara.

"Thanks. You know, he made that crane for you. He was hoping to come and see you anyway. You may want to take a closer look at it. Those guys like to hide messages in those things," Sara said very sincerely.

"Of course he did," Jorden replied remembering a few paper cranes they had given to her over the years. They were one blast from the past she would love to be reminded of more often.

Sara turned and started to walk away. "Hey Sara," Jorden called after her. Sara stopped and turned around to face Jorden. "Keep him safe for me?"

"Wouldn't dream of anything else," Sara replied with smile. Jorden smiled back and took off in the other direction down the alley back to the main street. Was this really happening? Was she finally going to see her best friends in this whole cruel world? Jorden could hardly contain herself as she walked down the seemingly never-ending maze of streets back to her apartment.

Jorden, finally, entered her dark and empty apartment. It was not a huge apartment, but had two bedrooms off the main living area. One was hers and the other she used as a guest room on the rare occasion people stayed over. The walls were pretty plain, but Jorden did the best she could with it. With her love of art in general, this was not a difficult task. The bland wall were now decorated in an array of colors and styles that ranged from small metal works to painting and framed pictures. The main living area, not big enough for the name living room, was sparsely furnished with an armchair, a sofa and long, glass coffee table parallel to the sofa. The floor was hardwood, but beneath the furniture pieces was a huge area rug of a rather modern cubic design of blue, green, and red on white. The living area opened to the small kitchen that was separated by a small bar and two stools.

Jorden could not help herself. She collapsed onto one of the stools, dropping her keys on the bar's granite style top. She was filled with excitement and with worry. She knew how dangerous this was for them so why did they insist on coming over here and risking getting caught. She just couldn't understand it.

She moved to the desk in the living area and started up her laptop to attempt to finish some work. She had a few assessments due on Monday so she began reviewing her notes from her sessions. She had a preliminary analysis due on Wednesday, but hoped she could put that off. The work load never seemed to end. Everyone in the country, it seemed, had psycho-killers that needed to be found. Not to mention the help she gave so the agents and investigators didn't lose their minds in the process.

The time was 12:43am. Would 1:00 never come? It seemed an eternity. She kind of really needed to get to sleep. Jorden heard the click of the lock on the door. She froze with her gaze fixed on the door.

"Jorden?" she heard Sara whisper into the darkness.

"I'm here," she whispered back. "Leave the main lights off though. I don't want to draw suspicion. Here," Jorden turned on the desk lamp, which illuminated the main living area. "Better?"

"Much," she heard Sara from the door. Just then, Jorden remembered the paper crane and the message that might be there. Without glancing at the doorway, she ran back to her room, and pulled the paper crane from her wet jeans pocket. Finding it relatively dry, she bent the wing down. Sure enough, she found a coded message that she was now wishing she had more time to decode.

Disappointed, she quickly changed from her wet clothes and brushed through her damp hair then headed out of her bedroom into the living area. Her eyes had to re-focus when Sara found another small lamp on a short table by the door to the spare room.

"So," Jorden said in a small quizzical way.

"He's in the spare room putting down his bag."

"Ah," Jorden forgot that the boys had been in her apartment before. However, she could never remember them being there at the same time. Where were they all going to sleep? She didn't have much space, but she did have an air mattress. No matter what the guys said, Sara got the spare room.

"So was I right? Was there a message?" Sara asked. She had that look in her eye like she was going to try and play cupid.

"You were right, but I didn't have time to decode. Honestly, by the time I got here I had forgotten about the message. Until you came through the door, that is."

"Go and get it. I want to know what it says."

"It can wait."

"No it can't. He'll be here in like ten minutes. You should at least try to figure it out before then," Sara had a very good point. Jorden could not argue with her. She went back into her bedroom and retrieved the paper crane from her bed. She returned to the main room and there he stood.

"Jorden my darling, it has been too long," he said with the most endearing smile that always made her feel like she belonged. She smiled back, but her eyes said something completely different. She could no longer contain her relief that he was safe. Maybe she just needed to see for herself that the closest thing she had to a brother she had ever had was alright and, if only for a little while, out of danger. She practically sprinted across the room into the open and waiting arms of Michael Scofield.


	3. How Do You Know Each Other?

**Okay...so I don't think much has changed here. Some re-wording and fixing of things, but its all pretty much the same.**

**Chapter 3: How Do You Know Each Other?**

"Sorry," Jorden said as she released her arms from around Michael's neck. "It's just really good to see you," she said with a very embarrassed look on her face.

"Not to worry," Michael said putting his hands on her shoulders and leaning down so that his eyes met hers. "There is no need to be embarrassed. It is really good to see you too." He followed her lead and wrapped her up in a hug. It was a strange feeling. A feeling she only got when Michael or his brother gave her a hug. It was a hug of security or safety. She wasn't really sure but for one thing, she needed these hugs more often than she got them. "When did you change your hair? And how many hair styles did I miss?" Michael asked as he released the hug and stepped back placing his hand on her upper arm taking in her new look.

"You didn't miss anything. This is actually only a few days old. Do you like?" she asked and stepped back in various cheesy modeling poses flipping her newly permed hair around.

"Curls are for you. Straight is so boring anyway," Michael said teasingly. Sara huffed a little folding her arms pretending to pout. Her hair was straighter than the new perm, but not completely straight. "But of course," Michael started moving toward Sara taking notice of her act, "waves are much nicer and classier."

"Thank you," Sara responded with a satisfied grin on her face.

"I should have known! I must be blind, or my radar is off," Jorden said in amazement at herself. She usually picked up on this stuff with no problem. Maybe she _was_ off.

"What are you talking about?" Michael asked acting like he had no idea what she meant by her previous comment. Jorden knew otherwise.

"The two of you, you're together. It's actually quite obvious; I'm just not sure why I didn't pick up on it before."

"It's that easy to tell, huh?" Sara asked rather embarrassed.

"Yeah, it is. No, there's no need to get embarrassed or anything. Actually, it makes sense. At least to me it does. No worries. Secret safe," Jorden mocked locking her mouth with a key and throwing it away.

"Thanks, Jorden," Michael said giving her a look like what she had just done wasn't necessary. "Where is he? He should have been here by now unless he got lost or distracted. Either one of those possibilities is viable," Michael was looking worried checking his watch and the door. Jorden soon adopted the same demeanor and ran into her room to check her phone. There were no missed calls so maybe Michael was right; he had gotten distracted.

"You don't think he would have abandoned the plan. Michael, you know him better than that don't you?" Sara asked with concern but with certainty that Michael was wrong.

"That's what worries me. I _do_ know my brother and I wouldn't put it past him if something comes along that looks better than what he already has planned. It's happened before Sara," Michael was looking more and more concerned. "Ask Jorden, she knows."

"It has happened before," Jorden replied wishing that her answer was different and that Michael was wrong. But she couldn't deny the past and it would not be the first time they, or she herself, had been passed up for something that looked better at the time.

"He isn't the same guy anymore, Michael," Sara was determined to change his perspective on his brother's whereabouts. "You saw him with LJ, at least for a little while. After everything the two of you have been through, what he's been through on his own, you are honestly going to tell me that he is the same man?" Sara was now looking at Michael in way that told him that he knew she was right.

"For his sake I hope you are right. I want to believe you, but the past has been repeated too often."

"I know where you're coming from, Michael. I do. But maybe Sara is right. He has been through some life changing stuff, and so have you. Would you say you are the exact same man you were before this fiasco? You've been here ten minutes and I know you're different. Not in every way, but you are not the exact same. Maybe the same is true for him," Jorden was trying to sound as reassuring as she could, but she knew Michael had a point as well.

"How much trouble could he have found in ten minutes, Michael?" Sara asked.

"You don't know him," Michael and Jorden answered in unison.

"I thought you agreed with me?" Sara said turning toward Jorden.

"I do, but Michael has a point. The past kinda overrides at this point. I hope that he is a better man for what he has gone through. I would think he would be, considering, but he's been through life changing things before. Fast forward to a year ago and you can see that it didn't last. Right now, I'm torn between what I know and what I hope is true. Knowledge keeps looking more and more like the truth at this point. I just hope I'm terribly wrong," Jorden was very calm on the outside, but very busy on the inside attempting to prove herself wrong.

"We all do," Michael said, checking his watch again.

"We gave him your number so that if something came up he could call," Sara said to Jorden, noticing Jorden's constant checking of her phone.

"So the fact that he hasn't called means no trouble, right? No trouble from those people after you guys?" Jorden said, suddenly sounding like a very worried child.

"Yeah, that's what it means. He'll be here, Jorden. He'll be fine, until I kill him for being late like this," Michael said. He was trying to reassure himself too. He hoped with everything that was within him that Sara was right and his brother would be there any minute.

"So how do you guys know each other? Michael just said you were a person we could trust. He didn't tell me much more than your name," Sara asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Michael has always been one for little detail. Little _shared_ detail at any rate," Jorden shot a teasing grin at Michael. She knew full well that Michael put a lot of detailed thought into things. "We met a long time ago, years and years ago," Jorden answered redirecting her attention to Sara. "Let's see I was 15 or 16. I lived up the street from him."

"But didn't you move around a lot being in foster care?" Sara asked, redirecting her question to Michael.

"We both did," Jorden answered seeing that Michael looked uneasy. "I was in the system too. I wasn't at that particular place for very long though. I was there and gone before he left. From then on, we sent letters and updated pictures to each other all the time, letting the other know as soon as possible when our address changed. I think he was the first real friend I made after the accident that killed my adoptive parents..."

"Your adoptive parents?" Sara asked. She was very confused, Jorden could tell. This wasn't anything new.

"Jorden was adopted as a baby. Her mother died during birth and her father disappeared before that," Michael jumped in.

"So you've never had your real parents? Have you ever wondered about your father?" Sara asked. She looked like she was looking at a helpless child.

"I've wondered, sure. I think everyone in that situation does. I haven't gone looking for him though, if that's what you mean. I got along without him for years, and I'm getting along without him now. It doesn't bother me though, really Sara. Don't feel sorry for me, please. I've moved on and I'm fine."

"I just can't help it," Sara said. She looked like she was about to cry. "You probably don't like it when people feel sorry for you," she tried very hard to change her expression but to no avail. "I'm sorry, really. That's just ridiculous that someone as great as you are had to go through all of that. It just isn't fair," Sara said giving up on hiding her emotions.

"I gave up on fair a long time ago. No, it probably isn't fair but I decided that fair was something that just wasn't for me, so I made my own way. I'm proud of what I've accomplished and nothing anyone says or does to me, fair or not, will change that," Jorden said flatly. This had been her philosophy for years and had worked out well for her in the end. She had a degree, a job, an apartment, and a life she could enjoy without guilt. She had done well considering the circumstances of her childhood, and there was no reason she shouldn't be proud of that.

"Wow," was all Sara could say. "No wonder Michael thinks so highly of you. You are one amazing person. I don't know what I would do if I had been in your shoes. I know for certain that I would not have done all that you have, that's for sure," Sara said after a small moment of silence.

"Thank you for the compliment, but really there is no need," Jorden said.

"Jorden has never been good with compliments. She gets embarrassed like she doesn't deserve them when we all know she does," Michael chimed in again returning the teasing grin she had shot at him earlier.

"Well, you do deserve them. You've done what some may say is the impossible," Sara told Jorden in a very positive tone.

"Stop, really. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Look at Michael. He did the same thing," Jorden said attempting to change the subject slightly.

"Yes, I did do the same thing. But I had help through it all. You did it alone," Michael said once again using the same tone Sara had.

"I did not. I had you. And I had other friends who helped," Jorden said trying to push down the very high esteem Michael seemed to have for her. An esteem that seemed to be rubbing off on Sara.

"Ok, you had me. Other than sending you a letter about once every two weeks, what help did I give you?"

"You helped," Jorden was desperately trying to find something.

"If I helped, it wasn't much. You know that," Michael was not helping her efforts.

"So I didn't do exactly what you did, but I'm sure there is someone out there who did what I did."

"I doubt that seriously," Michael said in his voice of high esteem again. Jorden didn't like when he used that voice. She despised the attention she got when he used that tone.

"I just did what I had to do," Jorden said finally, hoping it would end their conversation.

"Whatever you say, Jorden," Michael said. He checked his watch again. His brother was now twenty minutes late. "Where is he?"

Jorden checked her phone again. Nothing, not a single missed call.

Just then, the doorknob turned and the door cracked open slightly. "Hello," came from the shadow. "Michael? Sara?"

"Get in here. Where have you been? What took you so long?" Michael marched across the room to the door, closing it behind his brother.

"Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've been on this end of town? Plus, the L was packed. Is there like a concert going on tonight or something. I couldn't even find an empty bus."

"So you walked all the way here? No wonder it took you so long, sorry bro," Michael said as Sara got up to give him her seat. He looked exhausted.

"So where's Jorden?" he asked Michael. "She's probably still partying with that Lena friend of hers, hooking up with every guy in sight and..."

"Ah hem," Michael cut his brother off before he could finish the thought.

"What?"

"You might want to keep it down bro. She's right there," Michael said with a rather amused smile on his face.

He whipped his head to his left as his eyes fell upon his best friend in the whole world. Jorden _was_ sitting right there, and inevitably had heard everything he had just said. Never in his whole life had he ever felt this awful.

"Hi Jorden," he said shyly and stood up in what he hoped she took as respect and esteem.

She took her cue and stood up too. She took a few steps toward the light, casting off some of the shadow that had prevented him from seeing her in the first place. Finally, he was here. Relief swept over her the same way it had when Michael came out of the spare room. He was safe now, and that was the best feeling in the world. She couldn't help it. That strange urge came over her again. She flew across the room and flung her arms around the back of his neck. She was finally in the warm and strong embrace of the only other true friend she ever had in the world, Lincoln Burrows.


	4. SelfConfidence Issue

**I should probably add here...I do not own these characters. Jorden is my creation, however. Here is yet another updated chapter with some minor changes...but I new one is coming soon.**

**Chapter 4: Self-Confidence Issue**

"I think I have a serious problem or something," Jorden said, half embarrassed and half joking, as she let go of Lincoln. "I practically tackled you both. I have serious issues."

"You have no such issues at all," Lincoln said with biggest smile on his face. "New look? I like it," of course he couldn't resist bouncing her new curls up and down with his hands.

"You can leave them alone now," Jorden said taking hold of his wrists, pushing his hands back down to his sides. She hated when people played with her hair, she didn't care who it was.

"Fine, I see how it is," Lincoln said.

"I got a mini modeling shoot," Michael chimed in, just so that his brother knew he was the lesser of them.

"What is he talking about?" Lincoln gave her a look of betrayal.

"I was being completely silly. Very over-exaggerated. Nothing you would want to see or that I would want to repeat," Jorden said, confused on why this meant so much to him.

"I don't know, I got a kick out of it," Sara said. Jorden knew she was going to lose this argument.

"Oh, come on. Let me see," Lincoln was practically begging now. "You can't tell me that you like this guy over here…" he jabbed his thumb in the air toward his brother "so much more than me that you would give him a modeling shoot and not me," Jorden thought this was getting rather pathetic.

"I suppose you want me to one-up him so you feel superior. Should I model my new design for you then?" and as soon as the words left her mouth she wished she hadn't said them.

"A new design?" the boys were in unison.

"Design for what?" Sara was confused on why they were so excited by this news.

"Jorden designs clothes," Michael said quickly to clear things up for Sara. "Jorden, you gotta tell us what it looks like."

"She had the better idea though. She should model it for us," Lincoln said, fine tuning his brother's idea. "Come on, Jorden. Go put it on. Let's see it," he could barely contain himself.

"Yeah, come on Jorden. You know you're not allowed to do anything with your designs until they've been run past us," Michael reminded her.

"And like you two would be the authority of fashion," Sara joked.

"Then I guess it's a little for that since its already been turned down. The two of you were not in the best position for critiquing," Jorden explained to the two looks of shock and betrayal. "So there is absolutely no way I'm bringing that horrific thing out here for the three of you to laugh at. I was being sarcastic," Jorden said very determined to get off this subject.

"But you have a new design?" Lincoln asked.

"What if I do?"

"We want to see it. It's the rules," Michael reminded her again.

"That's right. The rules are in place to protect you from making a huge mistake in taking in something awful and wrecking your chances for future designs," Lincoln said.

"I know full well why we put the rules in place," Jorden said. "I don't plan on doing anything with any of my designs now so there is no need for the rules anymore."

"What?" the boys were in unison again.

"You can't mean that, Jorden," Michael was flabbergasted.

"Seriously Jorden, it would be everyone's loss if you stopped," Lincoln added.

"Is her stuff really that good?" Sara asked. She was again lost in their conversation.

"Her designs are amazing," Lincoln emphasized, "and it would be a travesty if she stopped trying to get them marketed."

"You should listen to him, Jorden. He's really smart when he wants to be," Michael said not being able to resist the chance to take a verbal jab at his brother.

"Sara, you tell her. Tell her that her designs are not the complete crap she thinks they are," Lincoln was insistent.

"I can't tell her that since I haven't seen any of them. Or have I? Like in a store or something?" Sarah said, noticing that Jorden was very uncomfortable with that suggestion.

"A couple designs got really close, but all were a 'no go'. I still can't figure out why that is," Michael answered.

"I know. I thought that one was it for sure. Do you remember it?" Lincoln asked his brother.

"Unforgettable, truly. Oh Jorden, show Sara that one. Just the one," Michael suggested.

"Yeah, show her that one," Lincoln added with enthusiasm.

"I'm not bringing anything out here. They're awful."

"You don't have to," Michael said. "She could go in there."

"No way, no one is seeing any of my designs. I'm sorry I mentioned them. Nothing against you, Sara really, I'm just very self-conscious when it comes to my extreme lack of creativity," Jorden desperately wanted to get off this subject.

"Not even the new one?" Lincoln was very disappointed. He was too good at the puppy dog face. Then Michael caught glimpse of his brother's efforts and made a puppy face of his own.

"Oh the two of you, honestly," Sara sighed. "No offense to you Jorden, but are these designs worth all of this."

"You bet they are," unison again and the boys returned immediately to their puppy dog faces.

"You guys are pathetic, you know that?" Jorden said with surrender. The puppy dog faces were too much. She had to give in. "One; that is all."

"One; got it. Which one, Linc?"

"I really like the one, but we haven't even seen the new one. What do you think?"

"I think we haven't seen the new one," and there was a few moments of silence as the boys turned both options over in their minds. "Okay, we'll see the new one," Michael said, coming to a decision for the both of them.

"Fine, I'll go and get it," Jorden turned toward her room to get her new design. She still could not understand why they so desperately wanted to see it.

Jorden returned from her room with a boutique style clothing bag hanging off a wire hanger. "Here it is," Jorden announced with no enthusiasm whatsoever.

"That's it?" Michael asked. "All we get is a plastic bag on a hanger?"

"I have to say it's a little…uncreative," Lincoln said posing in deep examination. "It lacks a certain…individuality."

"The bag is not the design and you know that so knock it off. I really don't like this design so don't be too harsh," Jorden did not take their humor well.

"Us? Harsh?" Michael asked pretending to be immensely insulted.

"How can you say that? We have never been anything but fair and encouraging to you and your designs. The fact you even think we could be harsh is just….harsh," Lincoln adopted his brother's look of betrayal.

"You guys are just ridiculous," Sara chimed in.

"Thank you. We know," Lincoln said with a big cheesy grin.

"Here it is…without the bag," Jorden said as she hung the bag on the coat rack, pulled toward the middle of the room, and unzipped it.

Hidden beneath the dress bag was a white blouse with a v-neck and three-quarter sleeves that tapered down to hang off the arm at the elbow. Toward the bottom of the blouse there was a band that wrapped around and came together in the front, off center, with a silver metal hoop. There was also a pair of blue jeans and a denim skirt on the hanger.

"Are the jeans part of the outfit?" Sara asked.

"They came from the store. The shirt is the only thing I designed. I took them with when I pitched the design to show that it could be casual or fancy. What do you think…and don't hold back," Jorden added.

"How could you hate that?" Lincoln asked like the simple fact was impossible.

"Easily, actually," Jorden retorted.

"I'd buy that in any store," Sara said. "And you're right…it can be either."

"It's a fully functional shirt," Michael said.

"Blouse," Jorden and Sara corrected him simultaneously.

"Blouse, excuse me," Michael corrected himself in a sassy tone.

"Yeah, Mike. It's clearly a blouse. Get it right, jeez," Lincoln could not resist getting back at his brother.

"You'd have called it a shirt too," Michael came back.

"I know my fashion vocabulary, unlike someone else I know."

"Alright guys, enough. I'm putting it away now," Jorden interrupted their argument knowing full well it could go on all night.

"They didn't even consider that design?" Michael asked.

"No, they didn't," Jorden replied quickly trying to change the subject.

"Personally I think they don't know what their missing," Lincoln interjected. "They would make huge bucks off that."

"Now you guys are just trying to make me feel better, and I gotta tell ya its not working," Jorden was desperately trying to get off this topic.

"That's seriously what we think," Michael replied. "I just don't understand what they were thinking when they let that go."

"They had to have given you a reason, right?" Lincoln asked.

"Not really, they just said it wasn't what they were looking for."

"I think they don't know what they are looking for," Sara said.

"It's no big deal," Jorden said as she went back to her room and returned the zipped dress bag to her closet. When she returned Michael and Sara were walking into the spare room and Lincoln was investigating her movie shelf.

"What are all these tapes? They're only labeled with dates and some letters like 'G', 'D', 'S', and 'FS'." Lincoln picked up one labeled with a 'G' and popped it in the VCR just as Michael was emerging from the spare room with a new set of clothes in hand.

"Can I use your shower, Jorden?" Michael asked.

"Sure go ahead," Jorden answered from behind the refrigerator door.

"Mike, come check this out," Lincoln summoned with a wave of his hand.

"What are you watching….wait do I want to know," Michael teased again.

"Ha, you're funny," Lincoln smirked back. "Did you know Jorden did gymnastics?" he asked Michael.

"What are you talking about, she never did gymnastics," Michael said with confusion written all over his face.

"Then who is on this tape, cuz it looks a lot like her?" Lincoln asked motioning at the television.

"Turn it off, Lincoln," Jorden yelled, in a horrified tone, from the kitchen.

"Why, Jorden? You're amazing," Lincoln said while continuing to watch a balance beam routine.

"Was," Jorden corrected him. "And it wasn't that great."

"You have a major self-confidence issue, don't you?" Michael asked.

"What do the rest of these labels mean?" Lincoln asked, picking up a tape labeled 'FS'.

"I'm not telling you cuz you'll really want to watch them when I do," Jorden said.

"I'm gonna watch them either way, Jorden," Lincoln retorted.

"Me too," Michael said.

"What are we watching?" Sara asked emerging from the spare room.

"Videos of Jorden's past athletic talents," Lincoln answered.

"Really? What kind of talents?" Sara asked.

"Gymnastics," Michael replied.

"Wow," was all Sara said as she came closer to the television. "That was really amazing," Sara said as the routine on the tape ended and Lincoln stopped it.

"No more tapes, Lincoln," Jorden hoped that Lincoln had never found the tapes.

"What's 'FS' mean?" Lincoln asked as he popped the 'G' tape out and the 'FS' tape in and pushed play.

"Figure skating," Jorden said softly and in a bit of shame.

"Figure skating?" Lincoln could hardly believe what he just heard. "Oh, I've gotta see this." The tape started, the music began to play, and there was Jorden in a costume seemingly floating across the ice doing spirals, triple toe loops, and aerial toe touches.

"Now how is it that we never knew you could do this?" Michael asked.

"It's not something I like to broadcast," Jorden answered.

"If I was that good at anything, I'd want to broadcast it to the world," Lincoln said as he went to switch to a 'D' tape.

"No more tapes, please," Jorden pleaded to Lincoln.

"You've been keeping secrets. I really want to know what this 'D' is."

"No, you really don't," Jorden was getting desperate.

"I think we really do," Michael said motioning for his brother to play the tape.

On screen now was dark. Pitch black. Nothing.

"Oh man, a busted tape?" Lincoln asked.

"No, unfortunately. This is a dance recital from years ago," Jorden just hung her head.

"Dance?!" Lincoln's interest had suddenly jumped. The lights on the tape now revealed a stage and dancers were coming out onto one by one as the music started. "Where are you, Jorden? I can't see you."

"I'm there, just wait."

"Where?"

"Give it a second," Jorden was not looking forward to this at all.

The camera suddenly panned around to the back of the auditorium. The spotlight revealed Jorden as she danced her way down the aisle, up a small set of stairs, and onto the stage.

"Wow," was all Michael had to say when the tape ended.

"I never knew you could move like that. I see you in whole new way now," Lincoln said never taking his gaze off the television.

"I wish I could move like that," Sara said.

"That's enough, now," Jorden said reaching for the TV attempting to turn it off.

"No, no. I want to know what this 'S' is," Lincoln said.

"No, Lincoln. Please do not watch that tape," Jorden was pleading now.

"You can't be that bad of a soccer player," Michael said.

"Its not soccer," Jorden said.

"What is it then?" Lincoln asked. He pushed play on the VCR.

"No judgment, that's all I ask," was all Jorden had to say.

Again the tape was black. Then lights came up and revealed Jorden on the stage. It looked like the same stage from the previous tape, but this time Jorden was the only one on it. The music started and then Jorden began to sing. Sara just stared at the tape with a look of inspiration on her face. Michael and Lincoln just watched with amazement. Jorden was searching frantically from face to face to face for any sign of reaction to what they were watching. She got nothing. No one said anything until the song ended.

"That was beautiful," Sara looked like she was about to cry.

"That was… yeah I think Sara pretty much summed it up," Michael said.

"I have just one question," Lincoln said. "Where in the hell did that come from? That was fantastic, amazing, and….and beautiful!"

"I think you all are tone deaf or something."

"And there's that wonderful self-confidence issue rearing its head again," said Michael with some more teasing.

"You can't seriously think that was horrible?" asked Sara.

"Yes I can," said Jorden.

"Where on Earth did you get that idea?" Michael asked.

"Let's see? The more appropriate question would be where it didn't come from. I can answer that too. Apart from you three and my students, the only other person who tolerates my singing is Lena."

"Well then Lena, your students, and us three are the only sane people on the planet," Lincoln said. "Anyone who thinks that's bad singing needs to get their ears examined."

"Thanks guys, really, but I think you're off base just a little."

"Whatever you say, Jorden," Michael said and continued to bathroom for his shower.

"Is my bed in here cuz there is no way I'm sleeping in that room with the two of them," Lincoln asked.

"No, that's my room Lincoln," Jorden said.

"Then where am I sleeping?" Lincoln asked with a forlorn look.

"Well you could sleep on the floor on an air mattress and a sleeping bag or you could take the couch," Jorden replied as she made her way into her room. "Good night," she said as she closed the door behind her.

"Great," Lincoln said. "Tonight's gonna be great. How do I always get the short end of the stick? This just isn't fair."

"You could come in here with us if the living room is too scary for you," Michael teased his brother again.

"No thanks. I don't even want to know what the two of you are gonna do in there," Lincoln retorted.

"We'd keep it PG with you in there," Michael kept 'em coming.

"Good night, Mike," Lincoln said rearranging the pillows on the couch and grabbing a blanket from the linen cupboard.

Michael closed the door behind him and Sara as Lincoln took his spot on the couch. They didn't stay there for long because just then the sound of smashing glass came echoed through the apartment.


	5. Faith and Trust

**Alright...the final revision. Again I will say that to this point the only characters I own are Lena and Jorden. There is one more to come and a visit from someone I'm sure some you will enjoy. Chapter 6 will be up soon!**

**Chapter 5: Faith and Trust**

Lincoln shot up off the couch and ran toward the spare room where Michael and Sara were running from.

"What the hell was that?" Lincoln yelled examining every window he could find. "You guys alright?"

"We're both fine, you?" Michael asked conducting his own examination of the windows.

"I'm good. Where'd it come from? None of these windows are broken," Lincoln said frantically looking for damage.

"Guys," Sara's voice was fearful as she pointed at Jorden's door. It was still closed. She hadn't come out of her room.

"Jorden," there had never been more fear in Lincoln's voice. All three sprinted to the bedroom door, which Sara expected to Lincoln to throw open. To her surprise, Lincoln just cracked the door open and moved into the room slowly. Michael was behind his brother in the same manner, so Sara followed suit.

"Jorden?" Lincoln didn't want to scare her anymore than she was. There was glass all over the floor and a huge brick right in the middle of the mess. Jorden was sitting on her bed, back against the wall with her knees pulled up to her chin and rocking back and forth ever so slowly, with a dead gaze on the brick in the middle of the floor.

"Oh no," Michael said then turned and told Sara to stay in the doorway. He and Lincoln made their way slowly into the room trying to avoid stepping on the glass as much as possible. Every time they stepped on the glass it crunched under their shoes and Jorden jumped and pulled her knees in tighter. "Careful, Linc, she's in bad shape."

"Yeah," Lincoln whispered back to his brother. "Jorden?" he tried again to get her attention but there was nothing. He couldn't tell from where he was standing, but it didn't look like she was hurt. He kept walking further into the room and more toward her until he stepped between Jorden and the brick. Her eyes never moved. He knelt down at the edge of the bed, almost level with her eyes, and said her name again as he reached out to touch her hand that was clenched around her knees. As soon as his fingers touched her hand, she pulled away from him, her head jolted up and Jorden caught his eyes in hers.

Lincoln had never seen more fear in Jorden's eyes before. He took his other hand and moved toward her head. His fingers touched her cheek and she flinched a little.

"Jorden, it's me," he was trying to be as soft as was humanly possible. "I'm here, Jorden. You're okay now," he was cradling her face in his hand now. He watched a tiny tear form in the corner of her eye and fall down her cheek. He caught with his finger and gently wiped it away.

"Lincoln?" she whispered ever so softly and blinked a few times, revealing a few more tears, like she had come back to reality.

"Yeah," he whispered back. "It's me. I'm right here. You're okay now. I'm here. You're safe now, I promise."

Jorden's head fell to her knees and she began to cry. Lincoln stood up to sit on her bed and wrapped his arms around her. He kept whispering reassuringly to her and rocking her back and forth. He motioned, with his eyes, for Michael to get rid of the brick.

"Let's get out of here, Jorden," Lincoln whispered to her. He was careful not to let go of her hand as he moved off the bed, leaned over to put her arm around the back of his neck, cradled her in his arms, then picked her up and took her out to the living room. He set her down on the couch and quickly took the seat next to her, never letting go of her hand. As soon as he sat down next to her, Jorden fell into him, her head on his shoulder. Lincoln wrapped his arms around her again and leaned back a little into the couch. He kept talking to her, reassuring her that she was safe and that she was gonna be okay, hoping she'd be able to fall asleep.

Michael found the broom and dustpan in the kitchen and he, with Sara's help, went to work on cleaning up the glass and getting the window covered.

"Is she gonna be okay, Michael?" Sara asked very concerned.

"She'll be okay. She just needs some time," Michael assured her.

"I've never seen Lincoln act so…" Sara was searching for the right way to phrase it so she didn't seem to be insulting Michael's brother.

"Gentle?" Michael found the word for her. "It's not an act. This isn't the first time we've seen her like this," he said.

"Something awful must have happened to her before that made her react that way?"

"There are only three things in this world I know Jorden is afraid of: gunshots, explosions, and breaking glass. If she even hears any one of those sounds she gets a little more startled than the rest of us would," Michael explained.

"You don't know what made her afraid in the first place?" Sara asked with a little bit of surprise.

"Jorden and Lincoln are the only ones who know. He is the only person she's told. I think that's why he's the only one who can bring her back when she gets like that," Michael answered. "I'm not sure I want to know."

"Someone else needs to," Sara started to explain. "What if something happens to Lincoln and he can't bring her back. What I just witnessed looked a lot like a psychological break and if, heaven forbid, something like this happened again and Lincoln wasn't here. Michael, if she stays wherever she goes for too long, you might never get her back and you'd lose Jorden forever."

"She has a point, Mike," Lincoln said somberly from the doorway.

"Jorden?" Michael asked, concern all over his face.

"She fell asleep. She's on the couch now," Lincoln answered. "Sara's right though. As much as I'd love to be her hero, I won't always be around. Now, more than ever, with our lives in danger every day she needs someone else, Mike."

"We're all she's got, Linc," Michael argued. "Well, us and Lena who I don't think would be much help in this situation."

"You're right, there. I don't like to think about it, but there are people trying to kill us and they very well might succeed. I won't leave Jorden alone, Mike." Lincoln was more serious than Michael or Sara had ever seen him. "I've done too much leaving in my life. I won't do it again. I know LJ will be taken care of if something happened to us. Jorden is like our sister, Mike. I've messed up too much with her. I can't just leave her. I won't do it."

"I won't either, Linc. You can trust me with whatever you need to tell me, but like you said, we can't guarantee that we'll both make it out of this with our lives."

"I'll do it, then," Sara offered. She couldn't help herself. "Tell me. I'll take care of Jorden."

"The reality is that none of our lives are guaranteed."

"I know that, Michael, but I'd like to at least try to help."

"It would be some insurance, Linc," Michael pointed out to his brother.

"Alright but pity is another thing Jorden doesn't need, and that will be your first emotion when I tell you this."

"How much does one person need to go through?" Sara asked in dismay with pity in her eyes already.

"Just don't show Jorden that look," Lincoln said.

"I won't," Sara said. She looked like she was ready to cry before Lincoln even started.

And so Lincoln began, hoping that some understanding of Jorden's past would allow them to help her in the future. He went through the different events in Jorden's past that caused her psychological reactions to gunshots, explosions, and smashing glass. By the time he finished you could see the pain on his face just talking about it. Sara could barely hold back her tears. Michael just stood in disbelief. He had no idea how much Jorden had been through before he even met her. He just couldn't imagine how his most precious friend could have survived all of that.

"I guess you told them," Jorden spoke softly from the doorway. The three of them were so deep in thought they jumped at the sound of her voice. Sara couldn't contain herself any longer. She walked over to Jorden and hugged her so tightly Jorden had couldn't breathe. "Really, I'm ok now Sara," Jorden said as Sara released her hug and stepped back.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Michael asked. "Are you gonna be okay in here tonight?"

"I'll be fine, just as long as no more bricks come through my window," Jorden tried to joke but it didn't go over well.

"Linc, would you kill me if I asked you stay in here with her tonight?" Michael asked his brother. "I just don't think leaving her alone is such a good idea right now."

"I can stay in here, just point the way to that air mattress."

"You don't have to sleep in here, I'll be fine," Jorden pleaded with Lincoln.

"I'd feel a lot better with him in here with you," and that was enough for Jorden to give up her argument. She knew Michael meant well, and besides, she trusted Lincoln.

Michael and Sara returned to the spare room, leaving the door cracked open just little as a precaution. Jorden got into bed and watched in amusement as Lincoln tried to finagle around the air mattress.

"Forget that thing," Jorden told him.

"And what would you suggest cuz in case you didn't know; hard wood flooring is not the optimal sleeping surface?" Lincoln teased.

"Oh just be quiet and get up here," Jorden said.

"You sure?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't."

"I won't pass up a comfortable bed," Lincoln said getting to his feet.

"Right over here," Jorden patted the empty bed space next to her. There was a lot of empty space in Jorden's bed; plenty of room for two people. Lincoln laid down next to Jorden, flat on their backs looking directly up at the ceiling.

"Figure skating, huh," Lincoln teased. "What else do we not know?"

"Don't even start in on that," Jorden was bound and determined to end this conversation before it began.

"Well, we've got to talk about something to avoid thinking about how incredibly awkward this situation is," Lincoln pointed out as they both started laughing.

"Okay, okay, let's see?" this was by far one of the silliest ideas she had ever come up with.

"Okay, here we go. We could start with why you practically mauled me when I got here."

"We could. Well," Jorden was trying to understand herself what exactly she had been feeling at the point. "I guess I was just relieved to see you alive with my own eyes," Jorden could only come to that conclusion.

"I haven't gone anywhere," Lincoln assured her.

"I know that but," and here it was. The one thing she really hoped she'd never have to tell him.

"What? Something happened I don't know about. Something that obviously had you thinking I was dead," Lincoln looked worried now.

"It's ridiculous and my fault really. A stupid, silly mistake on my part. Really it's nothing to worry about," Jorden found herself again wanting to change the topic.

"You can tell me, anything. You know that right? And if whatever made you that relieved to see me must have been a pretty big deal," Lincoln was trying to figure it out but wasn't getting anywhere. The only time he had come close was when he was to be executed and it was national news that the execution had been delayed.

"It was a while ago, really its no big deal. It was way back when you were scheduled to be…executed," Jorden could barely say the word. The thought of it sent shivers up her spine.

"Obviously it didn't happen…"

"But I thought it did!" Jorden blurted out, surprising herself and Lincoln.

"What?" Lincoln knew he had missed something.

"The night you were supposed to be…" Jorden rephrased, trying to avoid the word she hated, "the night it was supposed to happen, I stayed up watching the clock. I'm not entirely sure what happened but I passed out at some point, at least I think. Around three o'clock Lena called me to check on me, my ringer snapped me out of it. I didn't answer though. I didn't turn on my computer, didn't touch the TV. I didn't leave this room for four days. I stayed in bed and clung to that pillow you gave me a few years ago."

"What made you get up? It must have been something significant?"

"Michael called. He wanted to see me and I figured it was to talk about you and memories; his way of dealing with you being gone. I felt obligated to help him out so I headed for the prison."

"You drove all the way down there in silence?" Lincoln was astonished. Jorden always had something making noise like music, especially in the car. She hated silence.

"I drove the whole way there in silence. I didn't want to be reminded time and time again that you were gone. So I avoided it all together."

"So how did you find out that I wasn't…gone?" Lincoln was careful in choosing his words.

"Michael, that day I went to see him. The first thing I said to him was that I was sorry he had to witness the whole fiasco. Then he said something like, 'It was hell that little bit of time they closed the curtain'. I agreed with him then he said 'but it was a relief'. I asked him what he meant by that and he said it was a relief to see you again, alive in the back corridor. I think my heart jumped into my throat at that point. I asked him what he was talking about and may have called him a liar or said something to the effect of he was in denial. He was confused and told me that you weren't…gone. I explained to him the whole not leaving my room thing. He got this completely shocked look on his face and said something like 'So you don't know at all?' and I asked him what he meant. He explained to me how everything had been postponed and the evidence that had been slipped to the judge."

"I saw him that day. I remember he told me he had seen you. That work team thing. Why didn't he tell me about this?"

"I told him not to."

"Why. I'd have called you, sent you a letter or something, anything to prove it to you."

"I believed him after he explained it all."

"But it still obviously worried you."

"It did, but I knew when you guys broke out that you were with Michael and that you'd keep each other safe until I could see you again."

"And you couldn't have tried to see me that day cuz you have to schedule those things in advance."

"Or believe me, I would have told those guards right then and there that I needed to see you."

There was short pause before Lincoln spoke again. "Wow."

"What?"

"You missed me that much?"

"What?" now Jorden was the one who didn't know what Lincoln was talking about.

"You were that hurt by my…being gone that you wanted nothing to do with the world?"

"I wouldn't describe it quite like that…"

"I would. Wow, that kinda makes me feel important. Makes me feel like I matter."

"Of course you matter."

"With all the things I've done and the wrong choices I've made, I'm not sure I should matter."

"You matter more than you think. You matter to LJ; I know that for a fact. You mattered enough to Michael he put himself in prison to break you out. If you didn't matter to Veronica, she wouldn't have taken your case in the first place and she wouldn't have fought so hard to prove that you were the one telling the truth."

"I think their faith and trust are misplaced."

"My faith isn't misplaced. I put my faith and trust in you everyday. I knew you guys would come here when you were ready and when it was safe. I trust you to not knowingly put me in danger."

"About that brick, we had no…"

"There is no way you could have known about that," Jorden cut him off. "I don't blame you."

"Maybe you should. I'm sure those people were looking for us."

"Bricks get thrown through windows all the time in this neighborhood. You don't know that whoever threw it was after you."

"Have I ever told you how much I missed talking to you?"

"When would you have done that?" Jorden teased.

"Seriously, I wish I'd have called you or wrote you or had you come down more often."

"You had more important things on your mind, like your life."

"I missed you."

"I missed you too, Lincoln."

They both situated themselves into comfortable sleeping positions. They settled with her back to him both lying on their side. A little time had passed when Jorden changed position a little bit and moved a little closer to Lincoln, her back still to him. A little more time went by and Jorden moved again, in the same fashion. A little while later it was Lincoln's turn to move. He was close enough to Jorden that he could slip his arm under her neck so her head could rest on his shoulder. When he determined that he had not woken her up by doing that, he reached his free arm over Jorden's waist and pulled her closer to him. He ran his hand over the back of her hand and laced his fingers between hers. Then, to Lincoln's surprise, Jorden reached her other hand up toward her head and took Lincoln's empty hand in the same way. She was completely still and looked completely peaceful. Lincoln, taking his cue from Jorden, rested his head against her back and the two of them fell asleep in each others' arms.

Morning came and Michael woke up alone in the spare room. He walked out of the spare room to find Sara quietly making coffee in the kitchen. There was no sign of Lincoln or Jorden.

"Morning," Sara whispered to Michael.

"Morning. How long have you been up?"

"Not long, about fifteen minutes or so. Coffee?"

"Please. Lincoln or Jorden up yet?"

"Nope. No sign of either of them yet."

"Not surprising, at least for Lincoln. He always slept late."

"Do you think Jorden is okay?"

"I'm sure she's fine, Sara. And if she wasn't Lincoln was there with her."

"Maybe we should check in anyway?"

"Alright, I'll go and check," Michael resigned his argument. He got up from the kitchen stool and made his way across the living room to Jorden's door. He tapped lightly on the door before cracking it open. "Jorden? Linc? You guys awake?" he whispered as he opened the door further. "Oh my gosh. Sara, come over here. You've got to see this," Michael whispered toward the kitchen.

Sara came over to the doorway and asked, "What do I have to see?"

"This," Michael whispered as he pushed the door open so that Sara could see.

"Oh my gosh, go and find a camera."

"She'll kill us. Not to mention Lincoln."

"Oh come on, Michael," Sara pleaded.

"Okay," Michael made way his through the living room and into the kitchen searching for a camera. "I can't find one."

"That's because it's in there," Sara whispered pointing at Jorden's desk. The camera was sitting next to the desk lamp. "Make sure the flash is off. It's bright enough in here we won't need it anyway," she whispered after Michael as he made his way across Jorden's room to retrieve the camera.

He made his way back over to Sara, turned on the camera, adjusted the flash to off, played with the zoom a little bit, and took the picture. He showed the picture to Sara for her approval. She approved and Michael replaced the camera to Jorden's desk.

"Let's let them sleep a little longer," Sara suggested to Michael.

"Good idea," Michael agreed and closed the door behind them as they left Jorden wrapped in Lincoln's arms, hand in hand.


	6. An Interesting Encounter

**Hello again everyone. I will say again that I don't own these characters...just Jorden so far. Here, finally is chapter 6 so please enjoy!**

**Chapter 6: An Interesting Encounter**

Lincoln startled awake from a disturbing nightmare. It was not the first time Lincoln had this particular dream, either. His dream took him back to Fox River and the day of his execution. Everything played out has it had occurred. Blueberry pancakes and playing cards with Michael, seeing Veronica and talking to LJ on the phone, and his walk to the chair where he said good bye to his brother and Veronica. Only in the dream there was one slight difference, the switch was flipped. It was always at this point in the dream that Lincoln snapped awake in a panic.

Lincoln picked himself up off the bed a little, careful not to wake Jorden. He cautiously slipped his arm out from under her shoulders and placed her head on the pillow. He stopped and just looked down at her. She looked so peaceful to Lincoln. He had never noticed how pretty she was.

"What are you thinking?" he asked himself. "You can't be thinking this."

"There's nothing wrong with it," he argued back.

"But it's Jorden. Too much to lose."

"But that's just it, it's Jorden."

"This is a bad idea, you could get hurt. Or even worse she could get hurt. You've been there already."

"Right, this is a bad idea. I could lose her altogether. I've gotta shake this."

Lincoln resigned himself in that moment to leave Jorden's eternal happiness to some other incredibly lucky and unworthy guy. With that he left Jorden to sleep and shut the door quietly behind him.

"Morning, lover boy," Michael teased.

"Have fun last night?" Sara asked.

"What are you guys talking about?" Lincoln's brain wasn't fully functional yet. "Oh, you mean…no that is so not what you think."

"And how do you know what we think?" Michael asked.

"I don't even need a high school diploma to know what you think."

"So…you're gonna tell us what it is then?" Michael asked again. Sara was just giggling under her breath behind the kitchen counter.

"I was having a hard time with that air mattress and she offered the empty space on her bed," Lincoln answered his brother being very careful in the words he chose.

"Doesn't look like you used it," Michael interjected.

"Don't even start, you know it wasn't like that at all."

"We know Linc, but we just couldn't resist," Sara said.

"Couldn't resist what?"

"Teasing you about it," Michael got in before Sara could tell him about the picture.

"I bet Jorden won't get it this bad," Lincoln joked.

"Probably not," Michael replied as Lincoln shot him a look.

In her room, Jorden was starting to wake up. She rolled over and the light hit her eyes through the window. She squinted at the brightness but soon adjusted. She looked around briefly for Lincoln but assumed he was up already. She could smell the coffee from the kitchen.

"I could use some of that right now," she thought to herself.

She walked over to her closet to find some clothes, but bumped her desk on the way, knocking over the camera.

"I wonder if they'd let me take some pictures today?" she thought. "I haven't gotten a picture of either of them in forever."

She found some clothes in her closet and threw her clothes from last night in the general direction of her hamper. When she grabbed for her camera, she noticed the paper crane sitting on her desk. Having totally forgotten about the message inside, she picked it up and thought over the code..

"Hey, sleepy head. Are you okay in here?" Sara's voice came from behind the door. "The guys wanted me to come and check on you."

"Yeah, I'm up. I was just gonna try and figure out what this crane says before I come out there."

"Oh, that's right. You have no idea what that thing says yet?"

"You wanna help me?" Jorden asked.

"Sure, I've had enough experience with Michael's codes."

Sara came in Jorden's room and closed the door. They took a seat on Jorden's bed with the crane, a pen, and a notepad. Jorden carefully unfolded the paper crane which revealed a series of numbers and dots.

"I know this code. Michael uses it all the time. At least with me," Sara told Jorden.

"So you can help, cuz I have no clue what this means."

"It's actually really easy when you know the code."

"Let's get to it then," and with that Sara explained the code to Jorden and they were well on their way to figuring out the message.

"Do you want some privacy while you do this?" Sara asked after a short silence.

"Is that okay?" Jorden didn't want to be rude after the help Sara gave her.

"The message is for you. It's none of my business. Go right ahead, I'll tell the guys you're up and will be out in a few."

"Thanks Sara," Jorden said. "And I'll be sure to let you know what it says later."

"Good," Sara replied with a smile and left Jorden alone with her paper crane.

Jorden got on cracking the code. Sara was right, it was really easy to decipher when you knew what the dots meant. When she was done, she wasn't sure what to think.

"Jorden,

I've been thinking about you for a long time, so when Michael suggested coming to you for help I was so happy at the thought of seeing you again. I can't believe it's been so long. Can't wait to see you and catch up. Thank you so much for helping us, you have no idea what this means.

Love,

Lincoln"

He had thought about her? Why? It was really sweet what he wrote, but she wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do or how she was supposed to act now that she knew. What was she gonna say to him now? She almost wished she didn't know what that message said. This was gonna make things awkward now. Jorden hated awkwardness.

Jorden took the paper crane and folded it back up, placing it in her dresser drawer. Jorden turned to leave her room then remembered her camera on her desk. She went back for it, and turned it on to check the memory available and the battery life that was left. She noticed that there was one more stored picture on the camera than there was when she last turned it off. She navigated her way to the stored pictures, and found the one Michael had taken that very morning of her and Lincoln sleeping.

"Michael!" was all they heard as Jorden came walking out of her room.

"What'd you do this time, bro?" Lincoln asked Michael in an interrogating tone.

"I can't believe you were in there! Why did you take this picture?"

"What picture?" Lincoln asked as Jorden showed him the picture. "Dude, I can't believe you."

"You guys just looked so cute. It was a true Kodak moment," Sara chimed in.

"You were in on it too!" Lincoln accused. "I thought I knew you, but I guess I don't know you at all," he said with a look of betrayal.

"You guys did look really…" Michael didn't dare repeat what Sara said when Lincoln was giving him that look, "…comfortable," he chose quickly.

"Nice save," Jorden said, "but that doesn't answer my question."

"I don't know what the big deal is. You can delete the picture, you know?"

"I can…and I will," Jorden said sternly as she walked back toward her room to put her camera away, pretending to delete the picture but saving it instead. As soon as she got in her room, she quickly hooked the camera up to the digital printer and printed the picture, placed it in her desk drawer to dry, and then deleted the picture from the camera.

Just then, a girl came busting through the front door making everyone jump.

"What is up, gangsta…z?"

"Madison, what are you doing here?" Jorden's voice came from her doorway.

"Thought I'd just drop in to see my BFF," Madison replied, "but it looks like I came at a bad time so I'll just…"

"And am I invisible or something?" Michael asked Madison much to Sara's confusion.

"Oh yeah! I didn't even see ya there! What's up!" Madison said as she walked toward Michael and threw her arm over his shoulder. "Who's the pretty lady?" she teased in the Sara's direction.

"I'm Sara," Sara said still trying to figure out were this woman came from.

"I'm Madison," Madison said as she offered Sara her hand.

"Nice to meet you," Sara said accepting Madison's hand.

"Ditto," Madison replied.

"And what am I, chopped liver?" Lincoln interjected.

"Yeah," Madison replied sarcastically.

"Nice to see you too, Madison," Lincoln turned his attention to Jorden. "Where did you find this one again?"

"I'm not really sure. She just followed me home one day." Jorden answered.

"Ouch," Madison emphasized punching her heart with her fist, "stab, twist, and take it out."

"You were always such a drama queen," Lincoln teased as Madison walked over and threw her arm over his shoulders.

"I just can't help it."

"Did you need something, Madison?" Jorden asked as she came into the kitchen.

"Not really just wanted to hang out, but I can see that you have company and are probably very busy. So as much as I love you people, I've really got to jet."

"Always a pleasure," Lincoln said as Madison made her way to the door.

"Nice meeting you," Sara repeated.

"Later, Tink," Michael said as Madison opened the door.

"I bet you'll have to explain that one to the pretty lady," Madison replied.

"I'll call you later, Maddie," Jorden said as she walked toward the door to close it behind Madison.

"Just don't do anything I wouldn't do," Madison teased Jorden.

"I won't do _anything_ you would do," Jorden called down the hall as Madison rounded the corner and headed down the stairs.

"Well that was an interesting encounter," Sara claimed as Jorden shut and locked the door.

"Are we under house arrest now?" Michael teased.

"No, I just don't want that to occur again," Jorden replied. "Old Lady Finster is too nosey and would hear Maddie coming from a mile away."

"You got a point there," Lincoln agreed.

"So what's your plan for today? You do have a plan, don't you?" Jorden directed her question toward Michael.

"Of course I have a plan," Michael replied with an insulted tone. "I'm not going to tell you where we are going or what we're doing, though. That way if you do end up being questioned you really will have no idea."

"Okay but can I at least have a number or something to reach you at in case something goes wrong here, like men with guns show up to kill me?"

"This is my cell," Sara started to write on the notepad by the phone. "Michael will be with me pretty much all day so you can reach both of us here."

"And you?" Jorden redirected to Lincoln.

"We only have the one phone," Lincoln replied somberly.

"Take mine, then. I don't have anything to do today so I'll be around here. The number here is programmed as 'Home'," Jorden dug her phone out of her pocket. "If anyone calls it, just let voicemail get it and I'll return the call when you get back."

"Are you sure about this?" Lincoln asked reluctantly taking Jorden's phone.

"Please take it. It would make me feel better if you had it," Jorden pleaded.

"Take it, Linc. You never know, you might actually need it," Michael told his brother.

"You're right. Give me that paper with Sara's number. Let me put it in here," Lincoln said as he programmed the new number into Jorden's phone.

"Here's that number, Sara," Jorden took another sheet off the notepad, wrote her cell on it, and gave it to Sara. "You can put that in your phone. Oh, and here's the house number just in case you need it."

"Yeah, that'll be good to have," Sara said as she put both numbers in her phonebook.

"Everyone good, then?" Michael asked heading toward the door. "We won't be too late, but cooking dinner probably won't be necessary. Linc may be back by then, though depending on how long it takes."

"It shouldn't be too terribly long," Lincoln assured everyone. "Hey Jorden, would it be okay if I made a personal call while I'm out today? I don't want eat up your minutes or anything."

"Do you wanna call LJ?" Jorden asked knowing full well the answer she was going to get.

"If you don't mind," Lincoln replied.

"Go right ahead, I get free weekends anyway so talk as long as you need," Jorden said.

"Thanks," Lincoln said as he made his way to the door behind Michael and Sara. He hung back a little and turned back to Jorden, "Really, thank you"

"Don't worry about. Just say 'hi' to him for me," Jorden smiled back.

"Will do," Lincoln smiled back and shut the door behind him.

Jorden took advantage of the free day to tidy up around the apartment. Her room was a disaster area by itself. She took the air mattress Lincoln was having such a hard time with and folded it back up and put it in her closet. Her hamper was overflowing so she did some laundry. She took Michael, Sara, and Lincoln's too. After all that was done, she did some catch-up work on her computer. She was really hungry after the several hours of cleaning and work, so she grabbed some money and her key to walk downstairs to the corner shop and grab a snack. She closed the apartment door behind her, locked it, and headed down the hall. She turned the corner at the end and literally ran into Lincoln.

"Oh my God, you scared the crap out of me!" Jorden said putting her hands on his shoulders in relief.

"I was looking for a lesser effect but okay," Lincoln replied sarcastically.

They heard a door open down the hallway. When Jorden peeked around the corner, Old Lady Finster was leaving her apartment and was walking towards them.

"Shhh, Old Lady Finster is coming. We don't want her to see you."

"Why, I'm not one of America's most wanted anymore?"

"If she sees you I'll never hear the end of it for one, and for two she pays very close attention to those things like she wants to find those people. She will know that Michael is your brother and that he is probably close by. We want her as least suspecting as possible," Jorden said peeking around the corner once more. "Okay, she got delayed by the Baxter kid on the other side of the hall. That'll give us a little more time to figure out what we're gonna do to hide your face."

"Jeez, Jorden I didn't know you thought I was that ugly. I think I'm kinda pretty."

"You know that's not what I meant and you know I think you're pretty. You're very pretty," Jorden replied in a whisper hearing footsteps coming down the hall. "She's coming, what do we do?" Jorden asked frantically.

"I don't know. Michael is always the one with the plans, I just follow them," Lincoln replied just as frantically.

Old Lady Finster's shadow was moving closer by the second. Jorden was quickly running out of time. She needed a plan, and fast. There was only one thing she could think of. As their lips met all the memories came flooding back. All the late night walks in the park, the first time their lips met. She was brought back to reality when Lincoln turned her around with her back against the wall as Old Lady Finster passed them and disappeared down the stairs.

They parted and Jorden peeked around the corner to check that the coast was clear. Seeing that it was, she moved down the hallway pulling Lincoln out behind her, and headed to her apartment. She flung open her door and pulled Lincoln in behind her. As Lincoln closed the door he pulled Jorden back to him and wrapped her in another passionate kiss. They stumbled their way across the living room in dance like movements. Jorden fell onto the couch, Lincoln falling on top of her. As Lincoln moved his lips to her neck, Jorden ran her hands up his back to his shoulders and locked her wrists around the back of his neck.

Just then Michael and Sara came through the front door, interrupting Jorden and Lincoln. Coming up with a plan almost immediately, Jorden pretended to be asleep.

"Shh," Lincoln whispered catching on to Jorden's plan quicker than she expected.

"What happened?" Michael asked concerned.

"Nothing, she's fine. I found her asleep at the kitchen counter so I brought her over to the couch. I thought it would be more comfortable for her."

"Here, put this under her head," Sara gave Lincoln a pillow from the other end of the couch.

"Thanks, can I get that blanket over there?" Lincoln asked pointing at the chair across the room.

"Here you go," Michael helped Lincoln lay it over Jorden.

"Guys, can you watch her for a while? I need to get some fresh air."

"No problem. Everything okay?" Michael asked his brother.

"Yeah, everything is fine. I just need to clear my head for a little bit. No worries," Lincoln assured his concerned brother and headed out the door.

"Is he okay?" Sara asked.

"He will be," Michael assured her.

A few hours had passed when Jorden woke up. To her surprise she really had fallen asleep. She pushed the blanket off her and got up off the couch, folded up the blanket, and laid it over the back of the chair where it had been.

"Oh hey, you're up," Sara said noticing Jorden from the kitchen. "Michael is in the shower and Lincoln is out. Are you hungry? We saved you a little something," Sara offered some Chinese.

"No I'm fine, thanks. Did you say Lincoln is out? Where'd he go? Do you know?"

"He didn't say where he was going. Just said he needed to clear his head. As a matter of fact, he has been gone for a few hours now," Sara said looking back at the clock.

"Lincoln not back yet?" Michael asked from the bathroom door.

"No," Jorden answered with panic in her eyes. "You don't think he got caught or got into some kind of trouble, do you?"

"I'm sure he's fine, Jorden. He still has your phone doesn't he?"

"I don't know. Do you see it here anywhere?"

"No. I don't see it anywhere."

"It doesn't matter. He won't answer," Michael started putting his shoes on. "I know where he is," Michael headed toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Jorden asked nervously? It was hard enough to keep track of one. She didn't need both of them to go missing.

"I'm gonna get Lincoln. I'll be back in a little bit," Michael closed the door behind him with no indication of where he was going.

"Lincoln would call if he was in trouble, right?"

"Of course he would," Sara tried to sound as reassuring as possible.

Just then, Jorden's house phone rang.


End file.
